Mon Amour (My Love)

CHAPTER 31

ANGELO ROI

I woke up with a pounding headache. I rubbed my eyes and checked the time. It was already past 2 PM. I had overslept!

I got up, feeling like everything around me was spinning. That's when I remembered—I'd drunk way too much the night before. Then, it all came back to me—everything, including the kiss between Ricco and me.

As I stepped out of my bedroom, I was startled by the sound of loud rap music. Strange. That was the first time I'd ever heard such noise at home. My parents are quiet people, and Papa Allie is always selective about the music he listens to, so what in the world was going on?

I headed downstairs and realized the noise wasn't coming from inside the house. But it was so loud that I could feel my heart beating in sync with it.

"Joanna, what the hell is going on? W-Where are my parents?" I asked, seeing our maid in the living room.

"Umalis po, Sir," she replied. "Namili po sila ng mga lulutuin para sa dinner mamaya. May mga darating daw pong bisita. Di ba po death anniversary ni Mama Macel ngayon?"

"Oh mon dieu, oui," I said. Joanna frowned. I realized she wasn't used to hearing me speak French like my parents and Jane were. "Why didn't they wake me up?"

"Hindi na daw po kasi alam nilang nakainom kayo kagabi. Pinagluto ko po kayo ng sabaw. Mabuti po 'yun sa hangover. Teka lang po, ihahanda ko." She was practically shouting to be heard over the music.

I followed Joanna to the dining area, where Jason was sitting, drinking coffee and smiling at his phone. "Sir!" he greeted when he saw me. "Kape po. OK ka na, Sir Angelo?"

I wanted to nod, but my head was still throbbing, and the noise was making it worse. Joanna placed the hot soup on the table, and I sat down, facing Jason.

"Bakit nakasimangot ka, Sir Angelo?" Jason asked, raising his voice to be heard over the noise.

"What's with the noise?" I asked. "Where is it coming from? May party ba sa kabila?" I was referring to the neighbor's house next to ours.

"Sa'tin po 'yun, Sir. Sila Sir Ricco po at Ma'am Rose nagpapatugtog."

"Rose?" I asked, disappointed but not surprised. "She's here again?"

Jason nodded. "Narito rin po 'yung mga kabarkada ni Ma'am Rose. Nagswi-swimming sila."

"What?!" This time, I was truly shocked. I've lived in this house my whole life, and I've never brought anyone home to use our pool. So what are they doing? Who gave them permission?

I took a few spoonfuls of the soup Joanna prepared for me, then went back to my room upstairs. From the balcony, I had a view of the pool area. There they were—about a dozen of them—in swimwear, glasses of alcohol in hand: Rose, her friends, and my brother Ricco.

It was the most annoying and infuriating sight ever. I wanted to go down there and kick them all out. But instead, I decided to stay calm. I returned to my room, where the noise couldn't reach me, and called my Aunt Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Aunt Charlie."

"Hi, honey. How are you?"

"Good, thanks for asking."

"What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to check on Rose. Is she home today?"

"No, honey. Pumasok siya. Sabi niya sa akin may exam daw sila today, halos lahat ng subjects pa. Why, baby? Do you want to see her? I can call her."

"Oh, no need, Aunt Charlie. I'll just call her myself later. Magpapasama lang sana ako magshopping. You know, it's not really a guy thing, so I need her expertise. And it could've been a bonding time for us too. But since she has exams today, she'll probably be tired this afternoon. I'll ask my best friend instead."